Warriors at the deadline: The core is young, Bogut is playing, and no major moves are on the horizon

The Warriors almost certainly won’t do anything to get smaller or slower and won’t add crazy money or crazier players.

As Thursday’s trade deadline arrives, they won’t tear up their core group before they’ve seen a healthy Andrew Bogut in the middle of it.

Let’s also add that the Warriors also don’t have upcoming first-round picks to offer or any salary cap-space to utilize.

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So… Unless something dramatic happens over the next few days, the great likelihood is that the Warriors will remain mostly status quo through the deadline.

The big shake-up was last March, when they landed Bogut from Milwaukee for Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udoh.

The Warriors got bigger and stronger with that deal, but there are still things to be settled from that franchise-changer.

“This team is performing well and as Bob (Myers, the general manager) has stated, we need to see this team perform as a group over an extended period,” co-owner Joe Lacob told me via email on Tuesday afternoon.

Lacob said this before the Warriors’ started their post-All-Star break play in Utah Tuesday night; the Warriors went into the break on a five-game losing streak that put them in some jeopardy of dropping out of a Western Conference playoff spot.

But with Bogut only now getting medical clearance to play in back-to-back games and beyond 25-27 minutes a game, Lacob’s words echo through the organization.

The Warriors like their team and like their current spot in the West top eight; it would take something huge to get them to change things up again now.

Of course, the front office wants to see Stephen Curry and David Lee continue to raise their games and it wants to see the younger players grow.

Mostly, the Warriors need to see how it all works with Bogut, who played in only his 11th game as a Warrior on Tuesday.

Until they have more complete answers about those issues, the Warriors aren’t likely to consider adding a big salary and injury question mark such as New Orleans’ Eric Gordon or a volatile pending free agent such as Atlanta’s Josh Smith.

Basically, what’s available right now doesn’t fit what they’re looking for or is too expensive for what the Warriors can fit.

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Here are the quick details of why the Warriors are not in a big rush to make moves at the deadline…

* The Warriors won 30 of its first 48 games with a blend of great play from Curry and Lee, tremendous chemistry throughout the roster under coach Mark Jackson and with more true NBA size than the franchise has had in many years.

Why mess with that unless the Warriors know they’re getting a guaranteed upgrade?

* There’s probably no guaranteed upgrade out there.

Any player who could clearly help the Warriors would probably cost them either Harrison Barnes or Klay Thompson or both, and the Warriors aren’t interested in that right now.

* The Warriors are already above the luxury-tax line by a few hundred thousand dollars, which squeezes the options.

Though Lacob suggests they could go higher over the line for the right deal, it’s likelier that the Warriors would try to go under the tax line by Thursday by trading Jeremy Tyler or Charles Jenkins for a future second-round pick.

But Lacob made it clear that giving away useful players to drop under the line is not mandatory.

“Sure, in a perfect world we would like to be under the tax now,” Lacob said. “But it is not an imperative…

“We have a nice mix of younger veterans and youth. We now have size and great shooting and depth. We have an excellent coaching staff and a very good locker room with guys that care, want to win and genuinely like each other…

“Bottom line: this is not about money or tax limits or whatever; this is about the ONLY thing that matters to our fans, our players and to our ownership group… WINNING.”

* First-round picks are almost always crucial components in big deadline trades and the Warriors can’t trade this year’s (owed to Utah) or next year’s (can’t trade picks in back-to-back future drafts).

That’s one of the reasons the Warriors couldn’t get seriously involved when Oklahoma City was ready to trade James Harden—and why he went to Houston, which gave up multiple first-rounders.

* The Warriors should have little interest in most of the potentially available headline players, who are either duplications of what the Warriors already have or come with issues of their own.

Are we talking playoffs? 6 in a row is not good and this team
is starting to remind us of prior W teams–

Curry is a terrific shooter but a real turnover machine and
cannot play defense–

David Lee, despite the terrific srart, is looking more and more
like David Lee–and that is not good!

Bogut was awful tonite–

And the beat goes on—

lime

I cant believe the Warriors have lost 6 in a row!

Signed
One playoff appearance in 20 years

sffranciscan

This team looks awful, absolutely putrid–they just can’t defend.

Listening Joe?

http://google Fred Long

Jackson is a big part of the problem. You can’t play Landry (he’s oo small and can’t defend the bigs) unless you have Blogut, Biedrens or Ezeli on the floor with him. Landry and Lee playing together will only work with teams that are small. Early on they got away with it but opposing coaches now go big when Landry is on the floor.

The other problem Jackson has is substituting in mass poor shooters except for Jack. He should rest his starters rotating them so there are always three shooters on the floor. I feel Jackson has been outcoached more often than not.

ACC

Some of the posters have really nailed the problem. Playing small ball against teams that boast a big frontline is a no no. I know this lineup proposal may look strange but it may work as Jackson has not tried it yet.

For big teams like Memphis, Utah, etc. Go with this lineup:

C – Bogut
PF – Biedrins
SF – Lee
SG – Bazemore
PG – Curry

Subs:
C – Ezeli
PF – Landry
SF – Barnes
SG – Thompson
PG – Jack

For Smaller Teams :

Use the usual starting line-up and subs.

Might work.

EastBayFunkDunk

I’m starting to get concerned — 6 in a row after such a great start.

Coach Jackson’s rotations are highly questionable…Going away from your big role players for their position like Ezeli and Barnes in favor of a smallball lineup is stupid.

Ezeli only 8 minutes tonight? Bogut 0 points, 0 free throws attempted at 7’0 260? We traded our star player in Ellis, and a lottery pick in Udoh for this guy! I know he’s rounding into shape but HE’S GOT TO DO MORE.

Carl Landry has disappeared…Lee hasn’t had the same impact on the game since he was named an All-Star…And Klay Thompson is still doing his usual — uninspired, soft as tissue paper routine.

The All-Star break clearly hasn’t solved their latest issues. Joe Lacob needs to quit worrying about his excessive SF waterfront arena (which is already starting to hit major obstacles) — and worry about the competence of our head coach who has only a speck of actual coaching experience, and his signature trade for Bogut.

I love the trade and the job Lacob has done…But all we have gotten out of Bogut so far is watching him in street clothes and watching our team lose defensive intensity, consistency, and games with him playing. Finally putting a winning product on the floor should be Lacob’s focus — not ugly new trendy uniforms, or opulent, aristocratic arenas.

The great start to our season that I was so happy about, is quickly evaporating. Coach Jackson needs wake his guys up.

It’s way, way, way too early to break this team up. 6 in a row sucks, but it was against solid opponents and exactly coincided with the return of Bogut. Bogut is the defensive center-piece and the team’s defense has been the problem (plus turnovers, but those have been a problem all year). Solid team defense requires experience on the floor together, which clearly this team does not have; not to mention that Bogut looks like he is not close to 100%. I don’t see why management should start doubting this team now. Things need to play out.

If the problem is with Bogut, trading Klay will not solve it. What’s more, if the problem is with Bogut, trade chips like Klay need to be held on to, not exchanged for cap-killing deals like Eric Gordon. Keep in mind that the W’s will be in a very strong position post-draft: no future first-rounders committed, three expiring deals (counting Bogut) and the resulting massive cap space after next season… not to mention that a starting roster of Ezeli-Lee-Barnes-KT-Steph in 2014-2015 looks like a solid team. The team needs to play the long game- invest in relationships with the current players, establish Golden State as a desirable free agent destination, and develop a team culture that breeds winning.

just me

@Mark

I like how you think. Don’t make trades that kill the teams cap space. If they want to be serious build up a team of young players then go and find a real free agent that fits the teams needs when they have the cap space to do it.

WTF

What has Josh Smith done, besides insisting on jacking up 3s when
his career 3 point shooting percentage is 28.8%. In the play-offs it
drops to 14.9%. This season he’s averaging 17.6 points and 8.6 rebounds, 46% FG, 50% free throws, 2 seasons ago he was at 72.5%.
He was suspended last year for “conduct detrimental to the team”, and has said that he deserves a max contract.

David Lee is a bargain at a lousy $15 million a year!

Italy415

if the Warriors are thinking about trading Klay Thompson i would wait until the off season you can definatally get a player better then Eric Gordan hopefully for a true PG…. But don’t get me wrong if Gordan was 100% heathly i would do that trade NOW…

shooter

Is Lacob looking forward to the summer of 2015???

Warriors are only on the books that season for $25 Million owed to the original starting five this year of Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Lee, and Ezeli + Draymond Green if they want to keep him.

Even if you add Bogut for say..$10 Million, thats only $35M. Still enough to add a max player and still add pieces around them including their 2014 first round pick.

I snooped around and didn’t find anyone glaring that would hit free agency that summer (Rubio comes off the following year) but was hoping you could tap into that one for me, assuming the dubs stand pat at the deadline.

Italy415

i’m glad the Warriors didn’t do anything just wait for the off-season to see whats out there… (1) re-sign Jack (2) bring in a banger (3) see if somehow u can bring in a true point guard… moving Curry to SG.. See whats out there by dangling Barnes (or) Thompson as trade bait….Good Luck!!